Alone in the Dark
by Gray Fox2
Summary: Hermione with platinum hair meets a very disturbed, very sore Draco Malfoy. CHAPTER SEVEN UP! IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, REREAD! CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE ON CHAPTER FOUR!
1. The Leaky Cauldron

Along the dark streets crept a black-clad figure, his cape billowed out behind him as he walked towards the beaten-down pub. Once inside, he sat at the bar, pushing his hood back. Long platinum hair spilled from within, revealing him to be Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"Bartender, a rum, please." As the aging gentleman behind the counter obliged, Lucius' cold gray-eyes swept over the room. The only other occupants were five young teenagers. Probably bound for Hogwarts on the train the next day. The cruel DeathEater knew that his son, Draco- should he have come- would have known them. Their hoods were up, however, and their faces in shadow. One of the five wore a badge on their robe...much like Draco's HeadBoy badge.  
  
Draining his rum, Lucius stood and left the Leaky Cauldron in a drunken stagger. He apparated to the Malfoy manor, looking around.  
  
"Boy!" his voice was a slurred roar "BOY!"  
  
Draco Malfoy ran down the stairs, too fearful of his ever-uncontrollable father to disobey. Lucius' wand was out. He was decidedly angry at the boy for not accompanying him.  
  
"FATHER! NO!" Draco's screams made the other occupants of the Manor wince.  
  
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*! *!*  
  
"Lucius Malfoy in the Leaky Cauldron...drunk?" Hermione Granger...a BLONDE Hermione Granger, no less...asked, wondering if she was delusional.  
  
"Dad's said that the Ministry's had to go to the Malfoy Manor at least thrice this summer for cases of Child Abuse." Ron Weasley, one of Hermione's best friends stated. "Wonder if Malfoy's finally getting what he's had coming."  
  
"Ron! Not even Malfoy deserves to be abused!" Hermione and Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister and the only girl in the Weasley family save for her mother, Molly, scolded together.  
  
"As much as I hate to say it, Ron...they're right. Wonder if the git's okay?" Harry Potter, Hermione's other best friend and Ginny's boyfriend, added his input.  
  
Lavender Brown, Ron's girlfriend and the last edition to their little gang, nodded. "Agreed. We've all seen how Lucius Malfoy treats people...if he's reduced to treating his own son like that?"  
  
Ron shrugged, knowing that they were right and yet, not wanting to agree. He looked at Hermione. "So, why'd you dye your hair, again?"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes, "I told you, I visited my cousin in America and she insisted. She's a witch too, you know." She beamed. "She showed me all sorts of useful spells to keep it nice."  
  
Lavender and Ginny were all ears. "You'll have to tell us, too!" Lavender gushed. Ever since her best friend, Parvati Patil, had been killed by Voldemort...she and Ginny had been the ones Hermione had gone to when she needed a "girl's night out" so to speak.  
  
"Whatever..." Murmured Ron, as he and Harry turned back to their favorite subject: Quidditch.  
  
The three girls simultaneously rolled their eyes. "We'll be upstairs." Ginny stated as they stood, moving towards their rooms.  
  
Ron and Harry exchanged glances, "Was it something we said?" Ron asked, clueless. Harry, not knowing that, either, just shrugged. 


	2. Train Rides and Trouble

The group of teenagers pulled their luggage onto the train the next morning and Hermione grimaced. She'd never really much liked travel...which reminded her. She'd better take her motion-sickness pills before the train left or she'd be a goner. Opening her purse, she took out the small capsule that contained the life saving pills and swallowed one with the help of her Dasani Water.  
  
"Guys, I've gotta go ride in the Head's compartment...it's like an unspoken law. Sorry. I'll catch you all when we get to Hogwarts." She said, apologetically, to her friends.  
  
"Think nothing of it, Herms." Lavender smiled. "We'll all be fine." She was perched in Ron's lap, and Hermione had a feeling that they wouldn't miss her all that much. She smiled and waved to the other snogging couple as she moved down the train to the Head's compartment. When she opened the door, she glanced at the other lone occupant before moving to sit beside him quietly.  
  
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*! *!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*  
  
Draco forced his throbbing head up and struggled to focus his gaze on the newcomer. Hermione...Granger? But she had brown hair, not blonde. He lowered his head back to the seat with a muffled groan, too weak to hold it up any further. His father had carried him onto the train this morning amidst a hangover and a glaring Narcissa...but he'd just dumped the boy into the isle...it had taken all of Draco's precious little energy to climb onto the seat and keep himself from falling off.  
  
'Gods...just let me DIE.' He thought wretchedly...closing his eyes and struggling to breathe. His mother had accessed the damage the night before and had healed what she could...but some of the wounds wouldn't heal by magic, due to the rather vulgar way in which they had been afflicted. Therefore he was stuck.  
  
Without warning, he felt hands gently probing his body. That hurt...he groaned and tried to pull away. He knew who was touching him...and he'd get beaten harder for it.  
  
"Geroff...Mudblood." He groaned. "Get OFF"  
  
He felt Granger pull back...but he could already feel his strength returning. What had she done to him? Whatever it was, it was working. He opened his mouth to say thanks, but he couldn't quite get the words out through the haze of sleep that was settling over him. Quite soon, he was asleep.  
  
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*! *!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*  
  
Hermione smiled faintly. He'd protested. She'd known that he probably would...but it wasn't in her to leave a man that injured that they couldn't even open their eyes. By the time they reached Hogwarts, he'd be nearly fine...but she made a mental note to check up on him that night when they got to their Head Dorms. She opened her carry on bag and took out one of her favorite books, settling in to read.  
  
Lunch passed, and then she stood and moved to Malfoy's side. Carefully, she shook him. "Malfoy...yo Malfoy. We're almost to the school. You might want to get dressed."  
  
When she was sure he was awake, she stood and moved to the bathroom to dress. Coming out, she saw that the man was dressed...and she couldn't help noticing that he'd certainly been practicing that summer. Whoa, Boy was he HOT. Wait...what are you thinking, Granger? He's MALFOY. Just because you helped him doesn't mean that he'll be any less contemptible. After all...look at his background. He'll probably grow up to beat his kids or something...yeah, that's it. He'll beat his kids. That's a good reason not to like him...it is.  
  
She gave him a brief, civil smile- surprised when he returned it- and then she climbed out of the train and slid into the Head's Carriage after helping usher the younger students to their carriages and boats. She looked eagerly out the window, watching the castle in the distance become larger and larger as they approached. She couldn't believe that this would be her last year in Hogwarts! Sure, she'd always known that she'd graduate sometime...but now that it was approaching, she was wracked with waves of unavoidable nostalgia. After all, the castle had been like a second home to them all for seven years.  
  
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*! *!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*  
  
Draco was having similar thoughts as he watched the castle come closer. He smiled at the magnificent sight. No matter what, he'd never gotten over the splendor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even though he'd been raised in a rather large Manor, he still couldn't help thinking that this wonderful building dwarfed the Manor. After all, it wasn't every day that you got to come to this school. He'd heard rumors that Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were equally, if not more-so, wonderful...but couldn't bring himself to believe it. After all...Hogwarts was HOGWARTS.  
  
Draco heard Hermione's little gasp of happiness, and he could sense the happiness radiating off of her from a mile away. He couldn't help smiling. So eager...she had no idea of what was coming this year. Well...it would be at the graduation party...so he supposed that she could enjoy at least part of the year. Wait, what was he thinking? He was here to make her life miserable. And that went for Potter, Weasley, Weasley's sister, and Brown as well. So hah. He was going to take them all out. But DAMN Hermione Granger looked FINE with platinum blonde hair.  
  
Hold on here! Where did that thought come from!? Draco Malfoy, you know better than to even think such blasphemous things. Argh! But she was so...so...so...touchable! He could just...eat her whole!  
  
WAIT A SECOND! GET SUCH THOUGHTS OUT OF YOUR HEAD, MALFOY! YOU DON'T WANT THE WRATH OF YOUR FATHER AND HALF OF VOLDEMORT'S SUPPORTERS COMING DOWN ON YOU FOR THIS! DAMN! YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE HER! SO GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD! ARGH!!!!! YOU-HATE-HERMIONE-MUDBLOOD-GRANGER!!!  
  
So why...his subconscious argued...are you reduced to talking to yourself?  
  
Shut up. 


	3. Place your bet

Draco heard the door to his room creak open. He'd been awed at the size of the room earlier...and he'd been able to decorate it to his tastes...Snakes slithered around the wall in intricate patterns, mixed with murals of jungle foliage and other jungle animals. The bed was much the same, and there was an eerie green glow to the room, making it seem like the jungle at night.  
  
Hermione smiled slightly at the sight of the sleeping...or so she thought...man on the bed. She moved forward and carefully checked over his wounds. They were healing well...but she knew that they'd need more care than one day and one night could give him.  
  
It was going to be a while before she got to bed, she could tell. So she began to tell him about herself...everything that had happened since she'd been young. She talked quietly in a soothing voice, and Draco found himself listening, though he didn't mean to. He winced when she told him about the pain her first broken arm had brought her. And he nearly cried with her when she described how close she and her grandfather had been before he'd died.  
  
Hermione didn't know why she was talking to him when he was asleep like this...and she said so. "And besides that...I'm just a worthless Mudblood to you. I guess nothing will ever change. I could help you until I killed myself doing so and you'd still hate me. I heard about your Father...I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. My mother did the same...before she died. It was horrible. A lot of people don't know...but the woman I call my mom is my step mom. Her name is Diana...she's so wonderful to me. My real mom's name was actually Lakota.  
  
"I wish I could tell you some of these things with the assurance that you'd sit there and listen...like you're doing now. I understand more than most people give me credit for. My parents split when I was young...she'd always beat me...it hurt more than people know. Therapy hasn't cured me...even though I pretend that it has. They haven't been there. They don't know. Their foolish diagnosis's and such...they can't erase the feeling of someone who you should be able to trust hurting you so badly. They can talk fancy until their faces turn blue.but the asses will never know how it feels.  
  
"You do, though. I recognize the way these were inflicted. That's the reason they don't heal with your magic...it's complex, really...another person has to heal you...kinda like Harry and Voldemort as such as Harry's mother died to protect him and thus Voldemort couldn't touch him. Well, it works the opposite way with this. You can't heal yourself and someone wanting you for what you're to become can't heal it...it takes someone doing a kind deed to do it. A crème-like potion that's not difficult to make. I make it to help others like me out. It's really all-purpose. It'll heal nearly anything. I love it...it's handy for all of your basic injuries, plus the more serious ones. But you probably don't want to hear about that rubbish...  
  
"Anyway...where was I? Oh yeah...third grade. That was when my real mom left, you know. She just got tired of it, I guess. By then I was cutting myself REALLY deeply. Like...half an inch deep. I did it at the slightest of dirty looks coming my way. I couldn't stand being the outcast any longer. I just had to do something to make myself feel better. My dad had given me this silver pocketknife when I went into first grade. Sounds kinda brutal, I know...just barely eight-years-old and cutting yourself...but not much escaped me, even back then. I stopped last year, you know. It was hard...but I did it. I haven't cut myself since last May...I'm proud of that...but sometimes I miss it. It was a fairly good way to deal with the stress, really.  
  
"Guess we can't have everything, can we? Anyway...I'm done now, so I'll head back to my own bed. I'll talk some more tomorrow night, when I come in to take care of your wounds..." He felt her leave his side, and soon after the door closed. He thought for a while on what she'd told him, and he couldn't help thinking that she wasn't so different from him. With a pained shrug, he closed his eyes and let himself be drawn into the world of dreams.  
  
Hermione trudged across the bathroom that joined their rooms and into her own room. She'd decorated hers in wintery murals with wolf packs racing across...she'd even charmed it to make the pack move around, so you never knew where they'd be. At that moment, however, they were curled up in the snow together, dozing. She smiled and looked at the bed. The bedspread was much the same way, as was the carpet. The furniture was in shades of blue and gray, carefully complimenting each other perfectly. The door to the hallway was painted like a cave opening, and the doorway to the bathroom looked like a second opening.  
  
Sliding into her bed, Hermione took a deep breath. She couldn't believe she'd talked for so long. It was nearly 2 in the morning. Well, as much sleep as she got without sleeping potions...it didn't much matter. Sighing, she slid back onto her sheets and looked down at the tiny solid black kitten curled in the little basket beside the bed. The feline was completely black, save for the itty-bitty piece of white fur tipping her right front paw.  
  
"Sakura, you're so lucky. You can sleep anywhere at any time." Hermione griped softly. Sighing, she settled into bed and yawned, closing her eyes.  
  
It was going to be a looong night.  
  
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*! *!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*  
  
The next morning, Hermione walked into the Great Hall and sat beside Harry and Ron. Ginny and Lavender were sitting across from them, and they were all engaged in an interesting conversation.  
  
"I say October. Halloween." Ron said, calmly.  
  
"No...not enough time. Christmas." Harry said.  
  
"Christmas does seem more logical." Ginny agreed.  
  
"But nobody would be expecting Halloween." Lavender pointed out.  
  
"What are you guys talking about?" Hermione cut in, annoyed.  
  
"Oh! Hey, Herms! We're just betting on when Malfoy will get his Dark Mark. You want to bet too?" Ron said, calmly.  
  
"No...that's okay." Hermione said, a bit disgusted with the entire subject.  
  
"Great! You can find out for us, then!" Ron grinned. Harry nodded his agreement.  
  
"I think you're all fucked in the head." Hermione stated, quite calmly. "I'll not get your information. Find a different way to get it." She grabbed her schedule and stood, turning to go. She hadn't taken two steps when she ran into a strong chest.  
  
Draco winced and looked down at her, his eyes full of hurt...and, somehow...thanks. He turned and walked to his own table, sitting down and ignoring Pansy Parkinson as he ate. He thought hard on what Hermione'd said to her friends...he'd overheard it all...and it hurt him badly. Sighing, he took a bite of his toast before standing up and walking out of the Great Hall to his first class. 


	4. Suicidal Thoughts

**A/N:** I hate to speed this up so much, but I'm writing on another part of it on paper at school and I'm eager to get to that part of the fic. So I'm going to speed things up a bit event-wise...okay? Oh, and I understand that everyone's a bit OOC...but I figure that time changes people...makes them more mature, so to speak. And honestly, who of you can say that if your father started beating you, you wouldn't change? Or if you stopped cutting yourself or something, you wouldn't change? So I let the years make the difference for me.  
  
And before I begin, the head rooms are kinda like the common rooms...but way different. There's a common room/library right inside of a portrait of young twins...a five year old boy and girl. There are numerous little passages from the Head Rooms to different parts of the castle: The kitchens, each of their common rooms, the hallways outside of each classroom...etc. There's a fire in the library and a CD player that's charmed to play whatever the witch/wizard listening wants it to. In the middle of the room, after the numerous portraits that line the wooden part of the floor...there's carpet in the book shelved part...there's a stairway. Up the stairway, to the right is the Head Girl's room and to the left is the Head Boy's room. A bathroom joins the rooms, and more portraits line the dark hall up to the rooms. The stairs are carpeted.  
  
And now...I welcome you all to Chapter 4.  
  
"Whore!"  
  
"FuckFace!"  
  
"Cum Sucking Gutter Slut!"  
  
"DeathEater Spawn!"  
  
Even as the words left her mouth, Hermione found herself pinned up against the wall of the common room, with Malfoy's hand at her throat. Chocolate eyes widened, and she let out a soft whimper, just the faintest of sounds.  
  
"Don't you EVER call me that, Bitch! You have no IDEA what it's like to be me! No friends in the world to ease your hurt, ever..." Hermione cut him off.  
  
"Because you don't let ANYONE close! How are you supposed to have a true friend if you drive everyone away you dumb asshole!" She grabbed his hand and yanked it away from his throat. His nails were just long enough that they left trails of seeping red behind. "Fuck OFF! YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE IT BAD! JUST BECAUSE YOU HATE YOURSELF DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO HATE OTHERS, TOO."  
  
"Granger..." Malfoy was cut off when Hermione pushed past him and stormed towards the stairs.  
  
He caught her before she'd gone three steps, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around so quickly that she worried for a moment or two about whiplash. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? Nobody cares, I've gotten used to it..."  
  
"Nobody cares, Malfoy, because nobody can get close enough to." Hermione said, softly.  
  
He raked his hands through his hair in frustration, pacing like a tiger in a cage before storming back to her and stopping. "Damn it all! Truce, Granger?" He held out his hand.  
  
"It's Hermione." She smiled, taking it.  
  
"Draco." He said, softly.  
  
**Imaginary Line**  
  
Hermione looked up from her studies at a knock on the Gryffindor Portrait. Rolling her eyes, she opened the door to let Ron and Harry through. She smiled at them. "Hi."  
  
"Hermione!" She heard the voice from behind her. "I have a question on that essay for you help me out a bit?" Her roommate asked.  
  
"Sure Draco, give me a few moments." She smiled at him in a half-civil manner before turning back to Harry and Ron.  
  
"Well? What do you two want?" She arched an eyebrow. "Hm?"  
  
"What are you doing with that git, Hermione?" Harry asked. "It's not like you to ignore us like this."  
  
"You two are too busy sucking face on Lavender and Ginny when I am around to notice. So I'll just help Draco here with his homework and let you two seek me out when you've decided that I'm no longer something to step on." She glared.  
  
"Well...we have something to give you at breakfast tomorrow." Ron put in, quickly. He didn't want Harry causing any trouble with Malfoy sitting on the green couch in the Library.  
  
"Alright, bye you guys." She smiled and closed the portrait, walking back over to sit beside Draco, who was studying her. "What?"  
  
"How do you stand those two losers?" He asked, his eyes boring into hers. "I know I wouldn't be able to."  
  
She smiled. "Maybe...but they tend to grow on you. You'd be surprised how many times they've actually learned something when they're around me. I just can't make myself shrug them off. Now, what part did you need help on?"  
  
He was gazing at her in...open admiration? Surely not. "Huh? Oh, yeah...he said we needed pickled Mandrake root...but I don't see that on our list of supplies. Which means that I didn't get any in the apothecary...is there anything I can use in substitution?"  
  
She frowned. "I don't remember Mandrake Root being an ingredient...here, let me see." She leaned down over his shoulder, looking at his notes. He felt his breath catch, just slightly, as her signature scent of Strawberries hit him. "Oh!" He felt her giggle. "Here..." She was pointing at a part of his notes. How the hell did she expect him to concentrate when there was a seductress as...PERFECT...As her leaning over his shoulder?  
  
How the hell did she expect the inevitable not to happen? On impulse, he turned his head, kissing her neck. Gods, she tasted just as good as she smelled...  
  
Hermione let him feast for mere moments before pulling away. "Malfoy, what the fuck!...either you're drunk or you're high...but look." She pointed back to the notes. "It says Pickled Manama Root. Not Pickled Mandrake Root." She smiled and stood up, moving over to her own couch to work some more.  
  
"So...is it true?" She asked him, quietly.  
  
"Is what true?" He looked up at her.  
  
"Does your dad...well...does he..." She hesitated.  
  
"Does he beat me?" Draco was silent for a long time before he mustered the courage to answer her. "Yes...he does."  
  
"Oh..." She looked down. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't worry about it. He's an ass. Nothing else to it." Draco forced a smile before continuing his work. Sighing deeply...he began to write.  
  
Hermione watched him for a while. "Dray." She was surprised at her use of a nickname on him. He looked up, equally surprised.  
  
"Yeah, Mya?" He nearly choked when he realized that he'd used a nickname.  
  
She smiled, it was a faint smile...and it disappeared before it was in full bloom, but it was a smile...a true smile. "I've been there...you're not alone." She looked back down at her books.  
  
**Imaginary Line**  
  
That night, Hermione walked into the Common Room to see if Harry and Ron were going to eat dinner with everyone else. "Hermione!" She looked up as she heard the former calling her. "Over here!"  
  
"Yeah Hermione! We have our bets all written out. Here, you keep it..." Ron added.  
  
"What the fuck?! You guys got everyone in our year and Ginny's year to bet?! You're SICK!" She glared at them both as they nodded, not understanding what was so wrong.  
  
"Seamus, Neville even?! YOU'RE SICK!" She slammed back into the library and stormed to the CD player in the corner. "Fuck Rock...I need some country."  
  
Soon a beautiful mixture of Country/Bluegrass came on, and Hermione sunk slowly into not her...but Draco's couch. It smelled like him...she'd nearly been driven crazy earlier that day. Holy FUCK she'd nearly been driven crazy. The smell of him had made her stumble over her words until she'd had to move back to her own couch...but now she needed familiarity...she needed the sweet male scent that only he had.  
  
**Imaginary Line**  
  
Draco walked into the Library through the Twins' portal to hear a HORRENDOUS music was playing out of the CD player in the corner.  
  
"OH MY GOD!" He shouted. "GRANGER! TURN THAT OFF!!!!"  
  
The woman in question gave him an annoyed look. Did she turn off the CD player? Hell no. "Go upstairs if you don't like my music, Ratface."  
  
He glared. "Take that back, Mudblood."  
  
"Make me, Hippogriff's ass.."  
  
"I will, Slugbreath."  
  
Thus began their normal routine. Their arguments were all in good fun, and even though they normally wound up hurting each other's feelings, they were becoming fast friends. "Bring it, Snake wannabe."  
  
"Let's go, Mouse."  
  
"Come on, DeathEater."  
  
He laughed right out. "The day I go anywhere or do anything with Park-In- Slut again is the day that you can honestly and officially call me a DeathEater, Mya." He smiled at her.  
  
"The day that you become a Death Eater is the day that Harry gets a sex change." Hermione smiled back. "And if that happens, I'm so going to kill myself."  
  
"I'll never let that happen." He looked down at her, leaning forward. Right before he kissed her, Hermione turned away and turned off the music.  
  
Draco picked up her notes in a weak attempt to relieve the tension between them. "What's this you're working on?" He ruffled the papers. Something dropped to the floor and he picked it up. His smile slowly turned into a frown as he read it. "Oh my God..." He looked up at her, hurt and betrayal filling his eyes, and Hermione knew that he'd found the piece of paper that she hadn't discarded right away. Without looking back, Draco stormed towards the stairs.  
  
"Draco!" Hermione pleaded. "It's not what you think!"  
  
He whirled, glaring at her from the foot of the stairs. "No? What is it, then? It looked to me like the five of you had bets placed on when I was getting my dark mark!" When she didn't answer, he nodded. "That's what I thought. Do me a favor, Granger. Don't talk to me anymore." He stormed up the steps to the elegant Head Boy's room. Throwing open the door, he turned back.  
  
"And I am NOT going to be a DeathEater!" He screamed, slamming the door behind him.  
  
Down in the Library, Hermione slowly let her tears come as she whispered, "I'm glad." She picked up her books and set them on the coffee table, and then she gathered up his things as well, setting them on the table beside hers. With one last, longing glance up the stairs, the young woman left the room to get dinner from the kitchens.  
  
**Imaginary Line**  
  
The next morning, Hermione met Harry and Ron at the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room. They were eagerly awaiting her answer...the answer that would tell them who had won their "innocent" wager. She gave into the irresistible urge to slap them both, and then she went off on them.  
  
"You stupid idiots! Your fucking 'innocent' bet cost me what was beginning to turn into a promising friendship! For your information, he's NEVER getting his dark mark! Not as long as I consider him my friend! I'm ashamed of the both of you and I hope losing me for a friend was worth it!" She whirled with the intent of leaving them both to lick their wounds, but she stopped when she saw Draco walking to breakfast with Pansy on his arm. He was staring as if he'd heard, but Pansy, ever oblivious, sneered at the sight of Hermione.  
  
"Lookie here, Mudblood. Drakie's mine again and there's nothing you and your half-assed excuses for friends can do about it!" She noticed the tears dawning in the Head Girl's eyes and, mistaking them, continued. "Too bad. You know, my wonderful Drakie was only screwing you because I was mad at him."  
  
Even though Hermione knew that it wasn't true, even though she knew that Draco would never do that, and even though that wasn't the reason that she was crying, Hermione let this statement drive her into a desperate, sorrow- ridden run. She heard shouts of "Herms!" and "Mya!" behind her, but ignoring the three men calling after her, she ran on blindly.  
  
Somehow arriving at the picture of the blonde five-year-old twins, she gasped out "Dragon Tears" and stumbled in, racing upstairs and throwing open her nightstand drawer. Inside was the shining silver pocket knife that her father had given her when she'd come to Hogwarts...since the one he'd given her in first grade had been taken away by the teachers.  
  
"Only for emergencies!" He'd said, sternly. This was an emergency if there ever was one...even though she hadn't cut herself since the end of their Sixth Year, right before she'd promised Harry, Ron, and her father that she wouldn't ever again, she was desperate this time.  
  
Taking a deep breath, and tying her blonde hair up so that it wouldn't get dirty until she passed out, Hermione slit both of her wrists in two, obviously practiced movements. She then settled into the bathtub and stared at the door. One phrase kept running through her head.  
  
"The day I go anywhere or do anything with Park-In-Slut again is the day that you can honestly and officially call me a DeathEater, Mya." Draco had said, smiling at her.  
  
It was stupid. She just couldn't help it. She was tired...so tired. In less than twenty-four hours, she'd lost all of the friends that she'd ever had. Two to a bet, and one to Voldemort.  
  
_ A spurt of blood  
  
A shower of red  
  
Will I die this time?  
  
Will I finally be dead?_  
  
**Imaginary Line**  
  
Draco pushed Pansy off for the fifth time that day when he saw Hermione run. "Mya!" He'd shouted, without stopping to consider the consequences. "Mya! Come back!"  
  
He moved to go after her, but Potter and Weasley grabbed him. "You'd better spill, Malfoy." Potter threatened. "What the fuck's up."  
  
Too worried about Hermione to object, Draco looked at the boys holding onto him. "I told her that the day I let Pansy hang on me was the day I became a DeathEater. She said, and I quote, "The day that you become a DeathEater is the day that Harry gets a sex change. And if that happens, I'm so going to kill myself." So I replied that I'd never let that happen." He noticed that Potter and Weasley were both pale. "What?" He asked, suddenly afraid.  
  
_ It's flowing faster  
  
This bright red blood  
  
Like someone opening  
  
The gates of a flood_  
  
Ron gulped. "Sh-she was depressed for years...always cutting herself. She promised us, last year, that she wouldn't anymore..."  
  
"She's kept her promise, so far, but we've always been so very careful not to upset her..." Harry added. "Or so we thought."  
  
"Gods..." Draco whispered, finally appreciating the horrible truth to Hermione's late night stories. "No...Mya!" He ran as fast as his legs would take him. "MYA!" He screamed, begging the girl that couldn't hear him. She couldn't die...he couldn't lose the best...the ONLY friend he'd ever had.  
  
_ I don't mean to cause pain  
  
I don't want to hurt you  
  
But I'm just not strong enough  
  
This is it, I'm through._  
  
"Dragon Tears!" Draco shouted towards the portrait ahead of him, not even slowing to close it as he pelted up the stairs and into the bathroom. "Mya!" He pleaded again, shaking the weak girl lying in the bathtub.  
  
_ Everything's turning dark  
  
I can feel myself leaving  
  
I can see your horror  
  
That you wish you were dreaming_  
  
Hermione fought through the blur. "Dray..." She murmured. "I'm sorry...about the bet. I didn't...I didn't want them to do it. I should have threw the parchment away." Her voice was fading.  
  
"I'm not mad, Mya...it just shocked me. Now, you have to hold on, please. You have to stay awake."  
  
_ It's all right now my love  
  
I'm in peace at last  
  
I'll miss you my dear  
  
But my pain is past._  
  
Hermione reached to comfort him, trying desperately to pull herself back...but she fell, her life leaving her as she slumped against him.  
  
_ I reach to comfort you  
  
I've changed my mind  
  
But it's too late for that  
  
I've left all that I cared for behind_  
  
"No!" Draco begged her, his voice breaking and his tears coming. "No, Mya! NO!" He carefully and tenderly loosed her strawberry-scented, bloodstained hair and turned his face into it. Resting there, he let his sobs take over. Harry and Ron, having followed the Slytherin to the room, watched quietly as the Head Boy let sorrow consume him. As the sobs subsided, the man asked. "How many hours has it been since she ran off?"  
  
"Four..." Harry said, and then, not understanding. "How is that important?"  
  
Draco, however, was already inside of his room, digging desperately through his trunk. Finding what he was searching for, he put a long, golden chain around his neck. "Four hours...Four Turns." He said, looking at Harry. "Coming Potter?" He looked down at the Time-Turner and back up again. "Weasley?"  
  
Harry and Ron nodded, moving forward. "Not a word about this. I'll still come back in time. I'll leave a note to the three of us when we walk in on a very naked Hermione...and I shove the two of you into my room. You'll both have to sign it too...so that you'll know that it's not a prank." The other two nodded in agreement, and with a few turns, they disappeared.  
  
When they reappeared...that is, when the world stopped spinning, they were still in Draco's room. The Head Boy scribbled a note, explaining how things had turned out before they'd come back in time and what he wanted the three on their way to do, before opening the Head's portal to right outside of the Gryffindor Corridor. He pulled the other two behind a suit of armor and listened carefully with them.  
  
"You stupid idiots! Your fucking 'innocent' bet cost me what was beginning to turn into a promising friendship!" Draco turned and whispered to the other two.  
  
"When we hear me scream, we'll take another shortcut back to the Head Rooms...I don't have the password to that one...listen...there's Park-In- Slut gloating..."  
  
Sure enough, Pansy's voice was talking. "Too bad. You know, my wonderful Drakie was only screwing you because I was mad at him." Draco's hand closed into a tight fist, and he very nearly called out. Harry moved to quiet him, but he needn't have bothered...  
  
"Mya!" Draco heard himself shout, and he, Harry, and Ron ran back down the hall to Sir Cadogan's portrait.  
  
"Chivalry!" Draco said, and the painting swung open immediately. The three men walked into the Library in time to see Hermione disappear up the stairs. "I'll handle this." He said, quietly. "If she sees you, she'll be suspicious." After a few moments of hesitation, the other two men nodded, and Draco ran up the stairs.  
  
Hermione sunk slowly into the bath, lifting the knife over her left wrist. Without warning, a warm, strong hand clamped over hers. She looked up to protest when a second hand took the knife from her, but the blurry figure had already released her and disappeared through the door. Draco pushed Harry and Ron into Hermione's room and shushed them, pressing his ear to the bathroom door to listen.  
  
"Mya!" Hermione looked up as Draco ran into the room. He jumped into the tub, heedless of the water, and gathered her close. "My Mya..." he whispered. She yelped and pushed him out.  
  
"Draco! I'm naked and...HARRY AND RON?! OUT! ALL OF YOU!" Draco pushed the other two into his room as Hermione began throwing things.  
  
In Hermione's room, Draco grinned. "She's safe now..." He opened a portrait to the Gryffindor Common Room, quietly. Motioning them through, he smiled at them both and nodded when the ordered him to let them know the moment Hermione was upset again...if she got upset again. Draco had every intension of treating the woman like she was the sun, moon, AND stars. He walked in and collapsed on his Green-covered bed when he heard Hermione get out of the tub. Staring at the canopy of enchanted leaves, he listened to the sounds of the forest and closed his eyes, letting sleep claim him.  
  
"Mya..." He whispered in his dream.  
  
Hermione opened the door to Draco's room and looked in at him. She watched him sleep for a few minutes, enjoying the sight, before she walked back down to the Library. Turning on the "forbidden" Country/Bluegrass music, she began reading peacefully.  
  
**Imaginary Line**  
  
In a few hours, Draco opened his eyes and sat up. He heard music from the library. He smiled...it was Bluegrass music...further testament that Hermione was safe and sound. He walked downstairs, expecting to see the blonde Gryffindor.  
  
"Mya?" He called, gently. Suddenly, he stopped short. The Library walls were covered in blood... "MYA!!!"  
  
Draco sat up with a jolt...realizing that the sun no longer shone through the enchanted trees on his ceiling...showing that it was night. He looked down at his clothes, which were drenched in a cold sweat and clung to his body, chilling him to the bone. The door opened, and he saw Hermione turn off the light to the bathroom as she walked in.  
  
"Dray?" She asked softly. "Are you okay?" She slid onto the bed and he looked down at her.  
  
"Mya..." He whispered... "Yeah...I'm okay. It was just a nightmare."  
  
She smiled. "Okay." She moved to go. With a panicky jolt, Draco grabbed her hand.  
  
"Mya! Stay...please..." He whispered, swallowing his pride. "I can't sleep without someone next to me or a sleeping potion...I have nightmares..."  
  
She looked at him and he could see her hesitate. He was about to change his mind when she shook her head. "I won't stay here...but if you'd like, you may come to my room." She said, gently. He frowned.  
  
"Your room...?"  
  
She nodded. "I can't breathe at night without a vaporizer...I set up a vaporizer in my room..."  
  
He nodded slowly. "Okay..." The two of them stood and walked to her room for the first full night's sleep either would have in months.  
  
A/N: The revisions are FINALLY finished on this chapter...I'll reread the other chapters, but they should make more sense now...and soon the Fic will CONTINUE! YAY! SO HAPPY!!!!! 


	5. Deepening Feelings

A/N: Okay, to clear some things up on this...  
  
Hermione tied her hair up to keep it from getting dirty, for God's sake. She's not going to get a perfectly good pair of clothes dirty in yet another suicide attempt that she doubted would work anyway...remember that she'd been cutting deeper than that regularly before...but her body wasn't used to it this time so she didn't know it'd kill her.  
  
Also: I'm sorry for confusing you all about the time-turner thing. I was going to make him turn back time BEFORE he went up to the rooms, but logic says that he wouldn't know whether or not Hermione was going to be alright in the first place. And then that threw in the little bug...honestly, at first she was dressed. But I figured that if she was naked it'd give her a valid reason to push Draco, Harry, and Ron into Draco's room...which would mean that they could find the note and everything would be just peachy. NOW do you see why I did some of that? One more thing: The CD player isn't exactly that...just think of it as a magical radio, okay? It's slightly similar to a CD player, so that's what it's going to be called. So there. I apologize for any mix-ups/misunderstandings.  
  
Sorry it's short...I'm trying to work out how I'm going to get the plot back in motion. Last chapter was just for fun, really.  
  
And! On with Chapter 5!  
  
"Pig brain!"  
  
"Ratface!"  
  
"Bitch!"  
  
"Man Whore!"  
  
"Slut!"  
  
"Mother Fucker!"  
  
"HEY! I DON'T FUCK MY MOTHER, THANK YOU!" Draco was indignant. "I'm still a virgin...for your misguided information."  
  
"Well if my information's misguided...then you must not be a virgin!" She stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
Three seconds later, that clicked. "HEY!" He glared as she doubled over laughing.  
  
"Took you long enough!"  
  
"Shut up, Mudblood."  
  
"Make me, Snake."  
  
"I will, Pug-face"  
  
"Bring it, wannabe!"  
  
"It's been brought, mugglelover!" He tackled her and held her down with one hand, tickling her furiously with the other. She shrieked with laughter, squirming desperately to escape. "Hahaha! No one can escape the wrath of DRACO MALFOY! MUWAHAHAHAHA!"  
  
"Wanna BET?!" Hermione squealed with laughter, grabbing his hands and shoving him over backwards with some effort. She pushed him down and held him. Grinning, she repeated his own torture technique on him. "NOW who's the one who can't escape?!"  
  
Draco stared up at her. He caught her eyes, and she stopped, suddenly, lost in his deep gray eyes. He sat up slowly, reaching out and pulling her against him. It crossed Hermione's mind that she should pull back...that she didn't want to waste her first kiss on someone like him...but his lips were already against hers. And she loved it. Her eyes closed, and her hand came up to his cheek. His lips were firm and demanding at first, but- as the kiss progressed- grew gentle and soft. His tongue probed at her lips, and she opened her mouth to his demands. He tasted like...him...there was no other way for her to describe it...an intoxicating blend of addicting tastes that left her light-headed and giddy.  
  
She even tasted like strawberries...Gods, Draco very nearly moaned, She's DELICIOUS! It seemed that his hands were out of his control, and they roamed her body shamelessly and swiftly...had she pulled back, had she stopped, he would have been able to control himself...but she didn't. Instead, she let out a soft, guttural moan that drove him to the brink of insanity. He had to have her...he just had to. Draco tried to pull back, he did. He knew that if he gave in, that if he let his passion consume him, he'd be lost forever to this blonde-haired vixen.  
  
You know what though? At that moment, he didn't care if he lost his life to her. He needed her with every fiber of his being...and likewise, she needed him. They came together that day in ways that neither had ever shared with anyone else...and in that day, two souls were lost to each other for eternity, and the pair knew, even as they came together, that they'd never love another...that they'd never turn away from each other, and- most importantly- that they'd face everything together with all of their strength.  
  
As long as there is life, there is hope. 


	6. Snowball

**A/N:** I've finally got the revisions finished. I think that should just about cover the deepening of the feelings. After all, the line betwixt love and hate is a thin one, and Hermione and Draco have just walked it too long to know when they crossed over for sure...so I'll leave it be at that. And now, ON TO CHAPTER SIX.  
  
**Chapter Six**  
  
"Mya! Come on! We'll be late for breakfast and I want some waffles!" Draco shouted up the stairs.  
  
"Hold your ASS, Malfoy! Getting ready takes time, you know!"  
  
"I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR AN HOUR AND A..." He trailed off when she walked down the stairs. Her beauty captivated him, as it always did, and Draco smirked as he walked forward to offer her his arm. "Milady, would you do me the honors of accompanying me to break our fast on this lovely morning?"  
  
She rolled her eyes and smacked him. "Idjit."  
  
"Dipshit."  
  
"Old-fashioned Geezer"  
  
"Oh, I'm so wounded..." Draco grabbed his chest, staggering to his knees and then rolling over to flop down on his back.  
  
"Oh get over it." Hermione laughed as she ran out of the portrait-hole, shouting. "LAST ONE THERE IS A HIPPOGRIFF'S CHEWTOY!"  
  
"NOT FAIR! YOU GOT A HEAD START!" Draco struggled to his feet and took off after her.  
  
**Imaginary Line**  
  
"Soon, my lord?"  
  
"Yes, Lucius. Soon. Soon your son will be brought before us. Soon his loyalties tested. Soon."  
  
"Yes, my lord."  
  
"Bring him on Christmas Eve to bow before me, Lucius. He recieves the Mark then."  
  
"Yes, my lord."  
  
**Imaginary Line**  
  
"Harry!" Harry looked up just in time to get a handful of snow shoved into his face. Ginny squealed and took off across the snow as Harry gave chase, laughing.  
  
"Run run as fast as you can, can't catch me I'm the Ginger Bread Man!" Ginny howled with laughter as Harry tackled her, proceeding to thoroughly white-wash her.  
  
"Hey Potter!" Harry glanced up...just in time to get a snowball in the face.  
  
"Man, what is it with people and hitting me in the face with snow?" Harry groaned. Another snowball hit him in the chest, and he laughed and grabbed snow, packing it desperately and chucking it back at the laughing blonde couple.  
  
"Missed!" Hermione taunted, just to be hit in the back with a snowball. "Hey!" She whirled around to see a laughing Ron with his arm around Lavender. Grinning, she grabbed a snowball from the pile at her and Draco's feet and chucked it at the couple. What was to follow was the fiercest, most violent snowball fight that Hogwarts, in all of its splendor, had ever seen...including not only all of the Gryffindors, but the Slytherins as well. Even Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw joined in, followed shortly by a few of the younger, more funloving teachers. Well, more funloving. Dumbledore couldn't exactly be called young, per se.  
  
And so it was that the great school was united, the threads of fate pressed into motion, the tables set, the wheels beginning to turn...  
  
For what, you may ask?  
  
...For the gravest battle that the world had ever known. Love would be torn apart, Darkness would press mercilessly...  
  
And a lone candle was all that protected the lives of millions from the greatest darkness of them all. 


	7. Christmas is Coming

**A/N:** Okay. The story is BACK UP!!!! I am CONTINUING! Yay! Aren't you PROUD of me? Not really? Aw... =Fox pouts= Oh well, here's another chappy.  
  
**Chapter Seven**  
  
"Christmas BREAK!" Hermione could be heard screaming and dancing to the Christmas carols playing on the CD player in the common room.  
  
"Mya! Either sing or yell, but either way DON'T DO IT OVER THE MUSIC!" Draco shouted, trying to make himself heard.  
  
It was no use, the platinum blonde head girl continued singing and dancing and screaming. With a sigh, Draco opened the door to the Gryffindor Common room and bellowed at the top of his lungs.  
  
"POTTER! WEASLEY! WEASLEY! BROWN!" Down the stairs came Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Lavender, stumbling slightly in their hurry. "Does she always do this?" He demanded, when they had stopped before the portrait-hole, pointing towards the singing and dancing Hermione.  
  
"Ohhhhhh boy. Check her room. If there are two empty bottles of Christmas is Coming, then yep. If not, then she's on crack or something." Harry said. Draco arched an eyebrow, not knowing what Crack was, but he went up to check. Sure enough, there were two empty bottles of the potent liquor that was known to boost spirits close to Christmas.  
  
"Oh joy." Draco said, calmly, walking back downstairs. "Is there anything I can do to SHUT HER UP?" Draco asked, rubbing his temples.  
  
"Yeah...feed her to the giant squid." Ron said, calmly. "You might as well come in and play exploding snap, Malfoy. It's going to be a long day."  
  
Draco was about to refuse when a particularly horrible wail came from the girl dancing behind him. With a wince, he crawled through the portrait-hole and walked over to sit with the Gryffindors.  
  
**Imaginary Line**  
  
"What is that incredible racket!?" Lucius demanded of Professor Snape as they walked towards the Head Rooms.  
  
"That." Snape said, "Would be a yearly occurance. Now, Lucius, I'm not certain I understand. Why is it that you came to Hogwarts to fetch Draco home? If the boy wishes to stay, let him."  
  
"I cannot do that, Severus." Lucius said, smoothly. "Our lord wants him to be initiated this christmas. He will be back to Hogwarts by Christmas Morning. I just need to tell him where to meet me on Christmas Eve."  
  
"Of course, Lucius." Snape grit his teeth for a moment before smirking his normal, snapey smirk. "Dragon Tears." He said to the portrait of the twins, which swung aside, allowing the two men to walk into the Head Dorms.  
  
Just to be confronted with the sight of Hermione Granger singing at the top of her lungs, out of tune and completely tone deaf, with a christmas carol.  
  
Snape winced and walked over to the CD player, shutting it off. "Miss Granger!" He said, sharply.  
  
Hermione snapped to attention, swaying a bit and looking at him. "Yes Srofessor Pape? I mean Feporsser Pase? I mean..."  
  
"Nevermind it, girl!" Snape rubbed his temples. "Where is Mr. Malfoy?"  
  
Confused, Hermione pointed to Lucius. "No **no no _NO_**" Snape snarled. "**_DRACO_** Malfoy!"  
  
"Oh. He's in the Cryffinroom Gommondor...the Grymmondor Coffinroom...the..."  
  
"We get the point, Miss Granger." Snape said, walking to a portrait with the Gryffindor Lion on it. Opening it, he called through. "Mr. Malfoy, may I have a word?"  
  
Draco looked over at Snape, just to have the cards blow up. Cursing under his breath, he stood up and walked over to the portrait-hole, climbing through. "Yes, Professor?" He looked back to where Hermione was standing, looking up at Lucius. She had a very determined look on her face.  
  
"Master Milfoy...M-Misfoy Malter..."  
  
"Mister Malfoy?" Lucius supplied, helpfully.  
  
"YES! Milfer...oh forget it. YOU, sir, look like you need a drink!" Hermione tottered to the stairs and began to make her way up them. Lucius watched until she was out of sight, an amused smirk on his face, before he turned to his son.  
  
"Christmas is Coming." Draco said, simply. "Was there something you wanted, Father?"  
  
"Yes. I will pick you up in the HeadRoom Floo at exactly ten o'clock on Christmas Eve. Do not be late, Draco." Lucius said, coldly, before walking out of the room. He closed the door and swept out of the castle, leaving Snape behind.  
  
Snape stood for a moment before looking down at Draco. "How about you and I take a little walk, Mr. Malfoy? Straight to the Headmaster's Office?"  
  
Draco gulped. "S...sure...whatever you say, Professor." 


End file.
